ESPN Player Evaluations

Nike Nationals-July 10: Hardly a secret to anybody on the recruiting trail, Johnson joined several of her teammates in offering up her best performance at Nike Nationals. The 5-8 point guard from Gainesville, Fla., has ridden a roller coaster of play throughout the spring and summer. Quick, athletic and strong, she can be a force on both ends of the court. With the ball in her hands she returned to the aggressive and powerful penetration that gets her to the rim almost any time she wants. Even in transition, opposing defenders had trouble stopping the ball and she created numbers situations time and again. Once in the paint she can deliver both the shot and the pass but occasionally forces one or the other rather than taking the easy choice. She's physical enough to finish among the bigs and took more than her share of hits leading to multiple trips to the line. When she digs in defensively, she can be a point guard's worst nightmare. She has the ability to turn the ball and recover again and again in the backcourt. Off the ball she anticipates well and often comes up with the pick leading to easy transition baskets. When Johnson plays the way she did last week she's among the elite in the 2012 class.
Nike Summer Showcase-July. 10: Looking stronger physically and seems to have rediscovered her attack. Pushing the ball at opportunity and creating options for both herself and her teammates. Perimeter consistency comes and goes but the shot is there. Aggressive on ball defender who anticipates well. Off the ball her vision will have to come along for her to be the complete defender she's capable of. (Lewis)

USA U17 Trials-June 10: If quickness and speed were an asset all by themselves, this 5-9 combo guard would be near the front of the pack. Unfortunately, discipline, decision-making and consistency come into play and Johnson's commitment to each seems to come and go. At times she can be dominant and set the pace in the game on the break or attacking one-on-one in halfcourt sets. Others see her forcing both shots and passes making the job of opposing defenders as simple as staying in front of her. The vision, ballhandling and passing skills themselves are there but her choices and feel for the game don't allow her to make the best use of them. She's a streak scorer who can carry or sink a team depending on which end of the spectrum she's playing. The tools are there for her to be one of the stronger on-ball defenders in the class and she's not hesitant to get in a stance and get the job done. The Gainesville, Fla., native had a very slow start in Colorado Springs but eventually had some moments that revealed the potential that she's shown in the past. (Lewis)

Boo Williams-April 09: Niya Johnson, of Gainsville, Fla., plays at a pace that only a few players can keep up with. The 5-8 guard from the Essence Purple team gets out and runs the lanes like an Olympic sprinter and pushes it the same way if she gets the outlet. Her ballhandling skills are sharp and give her the ability to create shots and passes. An impressive and rare skill Johnson has is her cutting ability. She sets up her defender and aggressively uses screens or simply beats folks on a basket cut. Athletically, she has good speed, quickness and a solid mature build to go with her skills.